Cotton picker doffer



United States Patent COTTON PICKER DOFFER James Morkoski, Memphis,Tenn., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of NewJersey Application June 9, 1953, Serial No. 360,419

6 Claims. (Cl. 5641) This invention relates to cotton pickers of therotating spindle type which incorporate a plurality of spindles adaptedto be inserted attendant to their rotation into cotton plants to snagthe cotton whereafter the spindles are wihdrawn and passed through adofiing station whereat means are provided for removing the cotton fromthe spindles. More specifically the invention relates to a novel dofierfor effectively removing cotton from said spindles.

A general object of this invention is to devise a simple, inexpensiveand durable doffer which is adaptable for incorporation in currentmachines and which will effectively doif the spindles.

Currently numerous varieties of cotton plants are being grown andseveral of these varieties especially those of the long fiber type,which are particularly desirable, present an extremely troublesomecondition in doifing from the spindles, and especially when the plantsyield large amounts of sap which accretes on the spindles.

A more specific object of the invention is to devise a dofier which willobviate these difiiculties.

The invention contemplates a dofier which presents at its spindle wipingor contacting face numerous sharp corners which are adapted to dig intothe cotton on the spindle and unravel it therefrom.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent fromthe specification and the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary diminutive top plan view of the novel dofiershown in conjunction with a spindle as it is moved across the doiferdisc, the spindle being shown in phantom lines;

Figure 2 is an enlarged bottom view of the novel doffer; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the doffer taken substantially onthe line 33 of Figure 2.

Describing the invention in detail, the dofier generally designated 2,comprises a support member 3, which may be of metal, plastic or hardrubber or any other suitable substance, the member 3 being circular andhaving an outer peripheral extent or circumference 4, and an innerperiphery defining a central mounting opening 5.

Doffing means generally designated 6 are secured to one side 7 of theplate 3, said doffing means being formed of rubber or rubber-likematerial and comprising an annulus 8 having a bonded connection on oneside 9 with the side 7 of the plate 3, and in flat face engagementtherewith. The annulus 8 has an outer periphery 10 coinciding with theperiphery 4 of the plate and having an inner periphery 11 which isslightly larger than the opening 5.

Normally the side 9 of the annulus 8 is the top side. The bottom oropposite side 12 of the annulus 8 is formed with a plurality of lugs 13and 14, the lugs 13 and 14 being arranged in annular or circularconcentric series or rings with the lugs 13 disposed about the periphery10 and lugs 14 disposed inwardly of the outer periphery intermediate theouter and inner peripheries 10 and 11. The lugs 13 and 14 are formedintegral with the annulus 8 and depend therefrom. Each of the lugs 13and 14 are 2,720,741 Patented Oct. 18, 1955 substantially trapezoidal inside elevation and comprise substantially vertical radially outer endsurfaces 18 and 20, respectively, which are disposed substantiallynormal to the lower spindle contacting faces 21 and 22 of the lugs 13and 14, the faces 21 and 22 of the lugs 13 and 14 being disposed in asubstantially horizontal plane and the axis of rotation of the dofierbeing substantially vertical as well understood by those skilled in theart. The faces or sides 18 and 20 of the lugs 13 and 14 aresubstantially concentric about the axis of rotation 23 of the dotfer.The opposite radial sides 24 and 25 of each lug 13 are substantiallynormal to the face 21 and extend radially with respect to the center 23whereby each lug 13 has its radially inner end or extremity 26 narrowerthan its radially outer side or extremity 18. The inner side or end 26of each lug 13 is preferably disposed at an obtuse angle with respect tothe face 21 of the lug whereby each lug 13 is broader at its base thanat its outer extremity so as to obtain a good firm juncture with thebase portion or annulus 8. Similarly each lug 14 has its radial sides 27and 28 extending radially with respect to the center 23 andsubstantially normal to the face 22 and the inner radial edge or end 29of each lug 14 also slopes toward the base, the side 29 being related atan obtuse angle with respect to the face 22.

It will be seen from a consideration of Figure 2 that the outer seriesof lugs 13 are equally spaced circumferentially about the outerperiphery of the disc and that in the present instance there aretwenty-four such lugs shown spaced 15 from center to center. The innerseries lugs 14 is shown as spaced radially inwardly with respect to theseries of lugs 13 and there is shown sixteen of such lugs spaced even at22 /2 intervals between centers and alternate lugs are centeredcircumferentially with respect to the adjacent outer lugs.

I have discovered that the critical part of the dofiing is performed bythe corners of the dolfer lugs as the dofier sweeps over the spindle.These corners dig into the cotton lint wrapped around the spindle andbreak it away from the spindle whereupon the cotton is free to beunwound by the dofier from the spindle and thus removed.

It will be seen from a consideration of Figure 1 how this novelmultiplication of corners effects the purpose of good dotting. In Figurel the corners or cotton snagging points are identified 30 and 30a forlugs 13 and 31 and 31a for lugs 14. The corners 30 and 31 operate whenthe doifer rotates as shown and corners 30a and 31a operate when thedoifer rotates in the reverse direction as shown in U. 8. Patent2,140,631. It will be seen that the novel construction of the sides andspindle contacting face of each doifer element 13 or 14 produces anacute angled corner as shown. The lugs 13 and 14 are each substantiallyof equal dimensions and the points are directed circumferentially.

This doifer has been actually made and tested in the field and has beenfound to outperform by far any of the current designs of doffers so muchso that it is possible to reduce the speed of the dofier and stillmaintain adequate dofiing and at the same time in view of the reducedspeed to thus substantially increase the life of the doffer.

I claim:

1. A doifer for a cotton picker of the rotating spindle type comprisinga circular rotatable disc, a rubber annulus having a bonded connectionwith one side of the disc, and a plurality of rubber lugs integral withsaid annulus and projecting axially therefrom a substantially uniformdistance and arranged in at least two concentric rings, one of saidrings disposed along the outer perimeter of said disc and the other ofsaid rings disposed inwardly of the first mentioned ring each lugpresenting a cotton snagtgling point projecting in the direction ofrotation of the offer.

V disc;

' 2. A doffer unit for a cotton picker of the rotating spindle typedescribed in its normal operative position comprising a generallyhorizontal disc having a central axis of rotation, a dotting elementsecured to said disc and havinggia plurality of regularlycircumferentially spaced axially projecting lugs of resilient materialdepend ing' from said disc and disposed in a plurality of concentricrings about said axis, each lug oriented lengthwise radially withrespect to said axis of rotation of the doffer and having an outer endremote from said axis provided With a substantially vertical surfaceextending circumferentially 'of the disc, each end further havingsubstantially vertical opposite sides spaced circumferentially of thedisc and extending radially of said axis inwardly of said outer end 7from opposite extremities of said surface, and each lug further having abottom spaced axially from said disc support and presenting a generallyhorizontal spindle wiping face substantially normal to said sides anddefining there-.

with and with said surface sharp cotton snagging points directedgenerally circumferentially of said doffer, said lugs extendingarsubstantially uniform distance from said 3. A' doffing unit for acotton picker of the rotating spindle type comprising a disc-likesupport having an axis of rotation and lying in a single plane, dofiingmeans of resilient materialmounted upon said support and comprisingaplurality of concentric rings of axially projecting lugs extendingsubstantially a uniform distance from said support and spacedcircumferentially of the support, each lug presenting a spindle wipingface spaced axially of said support and generally parallel to saidplane, each lug having inner and outer ends spaced radially as respectssaid axis of rotation of said support and having sides spacedcircumferentially of the support extending radially as respects to saidaxis and disposed generally normal to said plane, whereby said lugsnarrow from their outer to their inner ends, and said outer extremity ofeach lug presenting a surface angularly related to said face and sidesand meeting therewith in circumferentially spaced sharp cotton snaggingpoints directed circumferentially of said unit.

4. A doffing unit according to claim 3; and one of said rings of lugsdisposed about the outer periphery ofsaid support and another of saidrings of lugs disposed within said first mentioned ring of lugs. V

5. A dofling unit according to claim 3 and said lugs arranged in aplurality of rings about said axis and one of said rings located aboutthe outer periphery of the sup port and another of said rings disposedsubstantially medially between said outer periphery and the inner periphcry of said support.

6. A cotton picking unit according to claim 3 and comprising at leasttwo circular series of said lugs and one of said series of lugs beingdisposed about the outer periphery of said support and the other of saidseries within the first mentioned series, each lug having substantiallythe same relative dimensions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,763,607 Watkins June 10, 1930 2,654,202 Millard Oct. 6, 1953 2,654,203Parkerton Oct. 6, 1953

